Unlikely Heroes
by Indigo Rosebud
Summary: Tierne Tabris never thought he would be thrown in a situation where he would have to be a hero. Now, to save his homeland from the blight he will have to fight not just darkspawn, but his own limitations. No romance, T for violence.
1. A Day for Celebration?

A/N: Standard disclaimer and such applies, Dragon Age does not belong to me, and I'm not planning on making any profit from this. Please enjoy.

"Tierne! Time to wake, today we'll have cake!" The sing-song voice rang out through the room as Tierne stirred on his bed.

"Huhn? What?" The young elf slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position. "Oh! Right! Soris' wedding." He turned to the smiling face that greeted him. "Thank you Shianni, I'll go talk to him."

"It's not just Soris, silly. Your bride arrived early, you're getting married too!"

"Are you serious!?" Tierne quickly pulled himself off the bed and stumbled to his feet. "Me? I'm getting married? Today?" He felt his stomach plummet. They had talked about his wedding for days, but he wasn't prepared, not by any stretch of the word. He had taken solace in the fact that Soris' wedding would be first, and he had told himself not to worry about his own engagement until his cousin's had been taken care of.

"Oh don't look so distraught, you'll be fine." Shianni put a hand on her cousin's shoulder to steady him. "You should go talk to your father, I need to get my dress ready." With that, Shianni skipped. Tierne waited until she had left to let out a groan. He didn't want this, he had never wanted this. Still, he couldn't just back out now. Soris, Shianni, his father, they were all depending on him to play his part in their family, in their community. If it meant he had to be tied down to a woman he had never met, well, so be it. He quickly washed his face in the basin of water near his bed, using a dampened hand to spike the front of his blond hair in the style both he and Soris preferred.

"Tierne?" He could hear his father's enquiring voice.

"I'll be right there." He called back before trudging out of his room and into the common area. His father, Cyrion, stood in the center of the room with a bundle of cloth in his arms.

"There you are, my boy." Tierne's saw a smile cross his father's worn features. "I've waited a long time for this day to arrive. Here you are, I want you to have these." Before Tierne could say anything, Cyrion pushed the bundle onto him. The younger elf found it to be a roll of elaborate clothing wrapped around a pair of boots. The clothes looked new, but the leather of the boots appeared worn.

"What's this?" Tierne asked as he looked down on the items.

"Your wedding gifts from your parents. I had the clothes made last week, I used one of your outfits as a reference for the tailors. The boots were made by your mother before you were born. I had to take them in to be tightened a little, evidently your mother thought you would have bigger feet by now."

"I see." Tierne said as he lowered his head slightly. "I'll change into these now, thank you father."

A few minutes later the young elf stepped into the sun-drenched Denerim alienage. All around him people were celebrating; quite a few had already started drinking. Amidst the revelers, he spotted one family packing up a cart in the distance. Ignoring calls from well-wishers, he darted over to them when he recognized one of the women as his friend Nessa, and the other two elves as her parents.

"Nessa, is something wrong, are you leaving?" He called out as he drew closer. Nessa turned to him to answer, but her father spoke up, cutting her off.

"The three of us are leaving for Ostagar. There is no place for us here, and plenty of jobs there. We are sorry we will not be able to attend your wedding, but time is of the essence now."

"What do you mean?" Tierne frowned as his conscience twinged. "There will always be a place for you here, this is your home."

"Not anymore." He said curtly, "Our landlord decided our house would be used better as storage. It no longer belongs to us."

"But surely there's something-" Tierne began.

"Please, don't concern yourself with us"Nessa's mother interrupted. "We can stand proudly on our own feet without your help. Now go off and enjoy your day." As she spoke, Tierne looked over the faces of Nessa's parents. They were set in their confident features, and he didn't think anything he said could convince them to accept his help.

"I see, I'll be off them. Nessa, I guess this is goodbye." With a quick wave to his friend, he turned around and started off, heart a little heavier.

"Tierne, wait!" It was Nessa. She chased after Tierne in the few long strides he had taken. "Please, listen to me."

"Of course, what is it?" Tierne asked as he turned back around.

"You have to help me. My parents are too proud to accept help but I'm too afraid. I don't want to be in that army camp surrounded by soldiers without another woman in sight. My parents would do their best to protect me but they wouldn't be a match for trained soldiers."

"Protect you?" Tierne asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Protect you from what?"

Nessa promptly slapped her hand to her face. "Sod it, are you daft?" She gently grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him close to whisper in his ear, concern in her eyes. "I'm afraid they will take from me that which … they have no right to take.""

Tierne's eyes widened as the full weight of her worries dawned on him.. He stood stunned for a few seconds before shaking his head and snapping into action. "Right, wait here, I'll talk to father, to Cyrion. Don't worry, I'll protect you." He whispered back before turning around and sprinting back to his home. He meant every word he said to her, and they echoed in his head with every step.

"Father! You have to help me." Tierne said as soon as he rushed through the door. "It's Nessa, her parents were evicted and she'll have to go to Ostagar and be alone with soldiers and can she stay with us please?" He took in a sharp breath as his lungs ached from the running and spurt of speech.

"Calm down my boy," Cyrion held up his hands as he spoke. "What exactly do you need?"

"Could Nessa stay with us? Please?" Tierne repeated.

"Of course. We need to look out for our own, after all."

"That's wonderful!" Tierne felt his expression lighten. "I'll tell her right away!" It probably took him less than a minute to rush back to his friend and her parents.

"She can stay? Really?" Nessa's father asked after Tierne explained himself. "It would be safer for her, for sure. Thank you, and give our thanks to Cyrion as well."

"Of course!" Tierne said as he beamed. His joy quickly gave way to nerves. "Oh, I almost forgot, I should probably meet Soris. No, I need to meet my bride!"

"And I need to get ready, now that I have a wedding to attend." Nessa said, smiling. She took a step forwards and pulled Tierne into a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you so much. Now go, go and get ready for your big day." She playfully pushed him away and waved, signaling him to head off.

He walked at a leisurely pace until he saw Soris leaning against a post. Before Tierne could speak, his cousin called out to him.

"Took you long enough, where were you?" Soris asked.

"I just had to help out Nessa, no worries." Tierne replied. Soris laughed. "Nessa? My friend, this is our day, your day! Oh, don't look at me like that, I'm sure you did the right thing if it was urgent. Now, let's go meet our brides before they think we've run away."

"We can still do that?" Tierne asked, only half joking. He had never felt ready to completely commit to some one he had never met before, and now that the commitment was staring him in the face he felt he was coming up short.

Soris just laughed again. "Where would we go? We might as well just grin and bear it. I met the brides already. You're lucky, you got the pretty one. Come on." With a quick wave of his hand, Soris beckoned Tierne over and the two walked through the streets, accepting gifts of coin and well wishes as they did so. Soon, Tierne spotted two elaborately dressed elven women he didn't know talking to Shianni. The one with darker hair smiled to Soris and walked over to him while the other smiled politely to Tierne.

"You must be Tierne. Soris has told me quite a bit about you." Her warm smile seemed inviting and put Tierne's scrambled mind just slightly at ease.

"Really?" He asked, "Even about that time with the mabari when he- ow!" He was stopped abruptly as Soris elbowed him in the chest. The woman laughed.

"You'll just have to tell me that one later." She smiled as Tierne caught a glimpse of Soris' scolding expression out of the corner of his eye. "My name is Nesiara."

"Tierne Tabris, at your service." Tierne found himself chuckling slightly despite the situation. He would still back out, if given the chance. But this Nesiara seemed kinder and a better match than he had hoped. However, his smile soon fell as he noticed three well dressed men walking towards the group.

"Well, what do we have here?" The one in the middle asked as he grabbed Soris' fiancée by the arm.

"Leave her alone!" Soris protested, sounding as brave as Tierne wished he felt.

"Hey, this is a party, we wanted some women, and we won't leave until we get some. What can you do, knife-ears?" Another one of the men asked.

"This!" Tierne heard a familiar voice call out. In a flash, Shianni brought an empty liquor bottle onto the head of the man who had a hold of Soris' fiancée. His eyes immediately rolled back in his head and he dropped to the ground.

"Shianni!" Tierne called out, stunned.

"You bitch! You'll pay for this!" The last human sputtered. "Do you know who you just brained? This is the arl's son, Bann Vaughn."

"He, what? Oh..." Shianni slumped and covered her face with her hands. "Maker, what do we do?" She asked as the other two men carried their friend away.

"Well, I wish I was the Maker, but I'm just your big brother Soris."

"How can you joke at a time like this?" Shianni gasped. "We need to figure out what to do if they come back. The wedding is supposed to start soon and-"

"Um, excuse me?" Nesiara spoke up, "but there's a human over there who's been watching us for some time."

Tierne felt his heart plummet at her words. He turned in the direction her pointing hand indicated and sure enough there stood a human. It wasn't just any human, but an armored and armed human with confidence in his posture that radiated throughout his very being.

"What should we do?" Soris' fiancée asked.

"Don't worry, Valora, we'll talk to him and see if we can't convince him to leave." Soris replied. "Come on, Tierne, let's go."

"Right," Tierne said with a nod before setting off in the direction of the human. He turned back towards the women, and seeing Shianni's face seemed to strengthen his resolve. Although she was a few years younger than Tierne, he had always looked up to her and seen her as a mentor for as long as he could remember. She just seemed naturally gifted, and always stood up for Tierne when he had faltered. Now it was time to repay the favor.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" The human asked as Tierne and Soris drew near. Soris gave Tierne a nod, so he spoke up.

"I don't know how much you saw, but you really shouldn't be here." He managed with a fair bit of confidence.

"Really now?" The human asked, "Why would you say that?"

"This place really isn't for your kind. Please, leave peacefully. I really don't want another scene." Tierne was able to look the man in the eyes as he spoke, though he felt his will wavering.

"Tierne! Soris!" Tierne jumped as he heard thefamiliar voice call out. He turned around to see Valendrian, the head of their community, walking towards them. "Duncan, are they bothering you?"

"This human is a friend of yours, Valendrian?" Soris asked.

"Indeed. Now you two need to get going, the priest from the chantry just arrived and we're trying to get the wedding started soon. Hurry on."

"Right," Soris said, "Tierne, let's go."

"Ah, one moment," Tierne stopped before turning to the human, "I wanted to apologize. A friend of Valendrian's is a friend of the alienage. Okay, Soris, I'm ready." With that, he took a deep breath and joined his friend to go see his betrothed for the second time, the time that would unite them as husband and wife.

"There you are!" Nesiara said with a warm smile as Tierne and Soris joined the women on the dais. "I thought for a bit that you wouldn't come back. Nervous?"

"Of course I am," Tierne replied quietly so only she could hear, "But I guess I'm happier knowing it'll be you, or some one like you, or I'm not sure. I am sure, however, that you've figured out I'm no good at times like these. In fact, with the heat and these stuffy clothes and the nervousness it wouldn't surprise me if I hit the ground unconscious during the ceremony."

"Oh don't be silly." Nesiara said with a small laugh. "Now hush, our wedding is starting." Tierne nodded and tried to stand up straight, but his muscles tensed as he noticed three tall figures dressed in a familiar red making their way towards the wedding.

"Everyone, wait!" He called out, "We have visitors."

"Well, I suppose that's one way to describe us." Bann Vaughn leered. "We're here to take what's ours and have a good time, isn't that right boys?"

"Please," Tierne began as he started to step forwards, but Nesiara grabbed his arm.

"Tierne, don't, can't you see they're armed?" She pleaded.

"You should listen to the girl." Vaughn said with a laugh, "At least she'll know you'll be safe when she has a good time with us. We'll be taking the other bride too, and the rest of the women."

"No," Tierne turned back to his bride and saw Nessa and Shianni behind her in the crowd, huddled in fear. They were his friends. He had promised to protect them, he couldn't fail now. He turned towards the guards again and spoke, "Leave them alone!"

"Oh, so scary. If I was a mouse I'd be quivering in fear at the big strong knife-ear and his mighty words." Vaughn chuckled. "Looks like this dog needs to be put down." He nodded to one of his cronies who stepped forwards, sword and shield in hand. As the lackey swung with his sword, Tierne wanted to run away, to just leave this mess behind, but his body wouldn't obey. He found himself stepping forwards to take the blow as he shielded Nesiara with his body. He heard Nesiara scream, he fell to the floor in a heap, his head crashed against the wood of the dais and his world turned black.


	2. A River of Blood

A/N: Disclaimer is in the first chapter. Just a warning, this chapter will have violence and mentions of rape. This is city elf origin, so yeah. Many thanks to everyone who read and doubly so for those who reviewed.

~*~

"There we go, I think he's waking up."

"Is he? I'm not sure."

"Well stand back, we shouldn't crowd him."

"What..?" Tierne muttered as he opened his eyes. He immediately squeezed them shut again as the bright light from the midday sun hit them. He tried to struggle into a sitting position, but froze as a dull pain in the back of his head became overwhelming. Suddenly, he felt strong arms grab his shoulders and pulled him so he was sitting up. He opened his eyes again to see a bearded human face staring at him, eyes filled with concern. The human looked familiar, which didn't make sense. Shems were supposed to look down upon him in scorn, not try to help him. Besides, this one looked like a hardened veteran of life, not a man likely to be seen in the alienage. Tierne tried to piece together where he had seen this human before, when the man spoke.

"Tierne, can you stand?" The human asked. Tierne started to nod when the memory hit him. This human was a friend of Valendrian's, his name was Duncan, Tierne had talked to him earlier with Soris. Wait, Soris was supposed to get married today. No, they were both getting married today. He was at the wedding, it was attacked! Without saying a word, he immediately got to his feet. He noticed a small crowd of elves, Soris and his father, surrounding him and Duncan before Tierne felt the muscles in his chest seize up in pain as his mind became clouded with dizziness and he fell forwards. Before he even came close to hitting the ground, Duncan stood up and caught him in one swift movement.

"That will be a 'no' for the moment then. Here, lean on me for now." Duncan said as he supported Tierne's wobbling form. "I was able to mend your wound from that man's sword, but you lost some blood. The poultices I used should numb some of the pain and set you right soon, but with how quickly you stood up it's a wonder you didn't pass out again."

Part of Tierne wanted to try to stand up again, try to struggle against the pain and weakness that was pulling him towards the ground, but he let Duncan support most of his weight as he spoke. "So I'll be okay? What about the others? The women?" His voice was quieter than he intended to speak, but the tone was laced with the concern he felt.

"You were the only one injured, but they took both brides and two other women when they left. After seeing you bleeding on the floor, no one dared stop them."

Two other women were taken. As Tierne looked around, he noticed Nessa and Shianni were missing from the crowd. The sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach soon turned to anger as he realized not everyone at the wedding was helpless.

"What about you, Duncan?" Tierne asked. "You have weapons, surely you could have intervened?"

"No," Duncan replied, "The captain of the Ferelden Grey Wardens can't very well go around attacking nobility."

"You're the Grey Warden captain?" Tierne felt himself freeze up. His mother had told him a little of the Grey Wardens when he was younger. He knew they were an order of skilled warriors who were dedicated to fighting Darkspawn, and that they had tried to recruit her. "Why are you here?"

"I need new recruits to help fight the Blight, but that shouldn't be your concern at the moment. Here, try standing alone now." Duncan held Tierne's shoulders until the latter managed to support his weight on his own feet. When he felt sturdy, he nodded to Duncan and the human let go.

"There, I think I'll be fine, but we need to get the women back."

"How are we going to do that?" Soris asked. "They'll be at the arl's palace by now, we can't just go through the front door?"

"You don't have to." Another elf spoke up. Tierne didn't know him very well, but he knew his name was Petyr and he worked as a servant in the palace. "I could sneak a couple people through the servant's entrance. I wouldn't be of any help against the guards though."

"I see." Duncan said, "Are there any of you skilled in combat?"

Slowly, Tierne raised his hand. He knew that meant he was likely to be chosen, that he would be sent to the palace and have to fight the guards. Still, despite the nervous cloud fluttering around in his mind, his resolve held strong. "I can fight, my mother taught me."

"I'll go too." Soris replied, his tone somber. "Tierne taught me a bit from his mother, we were sparring partners. Besides, they took my bride and my sister, I have to save them."

"Then take my weapons." Duncan replied as he unsheathed a longsword and a dagger before handing them to Tierne. "Here, I have a crossbow for your friend, if he can use it."

"I can," Soris said before taking the offered crossbow and a quiver of bolts. "Tierne, are you well enough to leave now?"

Tierne took a moment to appreciate the familiar weight of weapons in his hands before answering. "I'll be fine, I have to be."

The three elves set off quickly to a silent crowd that had earlier that day been a cheering celebration. Once they left the alienage, Petyr was their guide. Tierne had only been outside the alienage a few times, but Petyr seemed knowledgeable enough to lead them through back roads and shortcuts away from eyes of guards who would certainly object to elves carrying weapons. Tierne felt his heart grow heavier with every step. He didn't know how long he was unconscious, he hadn't thought to ask. Judging from the position of the sun it couldn't be more than an hour, but that could be enough time for those three nobles to- no, he couldn't think about it. Part of him said that if he let himself get bogged down in despair, he wouldn't be of any help to those he promised to protect.

"Quickly, through here!" Petyr said in a hushed tone as he indicated a door in the palace walls. "I have the key to both this door and the one inside the walls. You'll need to go around to the back in order to go through the servant's entrance." Petyr pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. "I'll go with you until the door to the inside, but after that I'll probably just slow you down."

"Wait, don't you know where Vaughn's room is?" Soris asked.

"No," Petyr replied, "I'm only allowed in the kitchens, the rest of the palace is a mystery to me. I'm sorry I can't be of any more help."

"You've given us a way to rescue them, we're in your debt." Tierne said as he slipped through the door.

"Not at all," he heard Petyr say behind him, "they're part of our community, our family. It's my duty- Tierne! Look out!"

Tierne had seen the guard charging towards them before Petyr shouted his warning. As the guard made a wild swing to the side of Tierne's head with a mace, the elf felt instinct from years of training take over. He sidestepped the blow and turned around on one foot as the guard stumbled forwards in his clumsy charge. Before his mind could protest, Tierne stabbed forwards with the borrowed sword and felt the blade go into the unprotected flesh at the very base of the helm. Bright red blood poured out of the wound, bathing the sword. The guard crumpled into a heap as Soris and Petyr stood there, their faces drained of color.

"Tierne, I think he's dead." Soris stammered. Tierne just stood in shock.

"More guards will have heard the sounds of battle, we have to move." Petyr said as he shook Tierne's shoulder. "If we get killed here, the others won't have a hope."

"You're right," Tierne said with a grim tone wrought through his voice. "Shianni, Nessa, Nesiara, Valora, no matter what happens we need to save them. Let's continue."

The were depending on him.

_Slash._

They needed him.

_Stab. _

They were counting on him.

_Dodge. Parry. KILL!_

Tierne repeated his thoughts in his head in a rhythm as he cut through the guards in the yard and their mabari dogs. He didn't dare let his mind wander lest he be flooded with the horror, terror, and guilt that gnawed in the back of his head. He only let his body stop moving so Petyr could open the door to the back of the palace.

"This is where I leave you two, best of luck." Petyr said as he slipped the key back in his pocket. "Maker willing I'll see you all back in the alienage." With that, he sprinted for the exit.

"Tierne, are you feeling alright?" Soris asked. Tierne looked down at his hands and noticed they were shaking as they held the sword and dagger.

"It doesn't matter how I feel, we have to get to our friends." His voice came out in short ragged breaths. "We need to hurry." He didn't allow Soris to protest further as he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind and rushed through the door. He barely had time to take in the lavish but practical splendor of the kitchens before he and Soris were greeted with their first obstacle.

"What the- guards!" A grizzled old cook greeted the two bloodstained elves with shock in his eyes. Tierne froze. This man wasn't armed, he was helpless, but he wouldn't let them pass through. Before his conscience could act, there was a sickening thud and the cook dropped to the floor. A young elf stood behind him, holding a rolling pin.

"I take it you're after the elven women the guards are talking about. I'm not sure where they are, but it's time we stopped letting these shems take what they want from us. I won't say a word about you two, now hurry!"

"Thank you." Soris managed to say. "He's right Tierne, we should go." With that, the two made their way into the neighboring room.

Even if they would have changed clothes, there was no way for the elves to hide the blood that had spattered on their hands and faces. The guards they encountered in the following rooms attacked them on sight, so they pushed through in hopes of finding their friends. They fell into a pattern with Tierne charging ahead and carving the guards with his blades and Soris staying back and shooting bolts into the fray. The pulsing rhythm of the battle soon became scarily routine as they finished off the guards in a room leading to a locked door. As Soris searched the fallen guards for a key, Tierne pulled his small thief's toolkit out of his pocket.

"Maker's arse, why do you have that old relic from your mother on you now Tierne?"

"Force of habit, glad I brought it though." He replied as he picked the lock. As he pushed the door open, he heard a gruff voice speak.

"Well, we've had our fun with this one, might as well see if they'll throw us the others when they're done." Tierne felt like a part of him wrenched out and died as he saw three armed guards surrounding a petite elf woman on the floor. Her dress was ripped to the point where it was unrecognizable as an article of clothing, and numerous small cuts littered her body. There was a larger cut on her throat that had drenched her neck in red. Her eyes stared lifelessly up in Tierne's direction as he recognized her as Nessa. Thoughts barraged him as he sunk into despair. It couldn't be, he had sworn to protect her, he promised this wouldn't happen. She couldn't have had _this_ happen to her, she couldn't be dead!

"Tierne! Watch out!" Soris called from behind as a bolt flew by Tierne's cheek. A guard had charged the elves while Tierne was still grasping the situation. Soris' bolt struck the guard in the shoulder and he stumbled back. As the other two guards stepped forwards, Tierne met them with his swordplay while bolts peppered the battle. After the guards had fallen, Tierne dropped his weapons and knelt down next to Nessa.

"No, I can't believe it." He muttered as he extended a shaking hand to touch her shoulder. "She was worried this would happen at Ostagar, and I made sure she stayed here, I thought she'd be safe here. If I hadn't done anything-"

"Now's not the time Tierne!" Soris called out. "Nessa was my friend too, but we can't help her now."

"Nessa," Tierne muttered as he reached over and touched her cheek as the full force of the situation hit him. Her skin was clammy with a lukewarm temperature that felt like it was cooling under his touch. She was dead, gone, just like the guards he had cut through so casually.

"Tierne, we need to hurry, come on!" Soris said as he roughly grabbed Tierne by the shoulder and hoisted him to his feet. "If you want to stay here for the guards to find us and Vaughn to do, well, this- to my sister and our brides, well, I'm leaving to find them."

"Soris?" Tierne didn't feel like going anywhere, but he didn't want to abandon his cousin. He falsely mustered sincerity as he spoke. "I'm sorry, you're right. I can't focus on my decisions in the past, the others are counting on us. Let's go."

The race to Vaughn's quarters was mostly a blur in Tierne's mind. Despite his earlier despair, his body quickly adapted to the rhythm of battle as the two elves cut their way through more guards. Tierne pushed open another door, this one unlocked, and what he saw he could never fix, never undo, never turn back time to stop.

"Shianni!" Tierne yelled. The small redheaded elf was lying on the floor, her dress in a similar state as Nessa's. Vaughn and his two friends were standing around her, but they had turned to see the rescuers when the door was opened.

"Soris? Tierne?" Shianni muttered as she turned her face towards the door, though her eyes were out of focus.

"Bann Vaughn! Now that we've all said each other's names, let's talk about why you knife-ears are here." The arl's son said with a smirk.

"Do you really need to ask? We're here for Shianni and the others," Soris said as his voice quivered in anger.

"I understand, I understand perfectly." Vaughn said as he paced the room. "But I'm sure you'll understand my position. Namely, I'd very much like to stay alive. Maybe I could convince you to leave for, say-"

"No way." Tierne interrupted. "After what I saw your men did to Nessa, after what you three did to Shianni, nothing you pay us will make up for it."

"Then we'll have to kill you, you understand? Are you prepared to die defending the honor of these harlots?" Tierne felt himself seize up. Under the storm of anger he felt was a deep and primal fear. He had made it through the guards with only a few scratches, but Vaughn might be more powerful. He could easily die here. But no, he couldn't just abandon his cousin, his mentor, his best friend.

"You're welcome to try to kill us, but we won't just fall over for you." Tierne's voice was weaker than he had hoped, but the grip on his weapons was strong.

"Brave words for a knife-ear, at least you'll give your women some comfort that you tried, I'll leave you with that." Vaughn said before drawing his sword and stepping forwards, swinging in an arc. Tierne wordlessly stepped to meet him in a parry with his longsword before shifting his weight to his back leg and delivering a front kick to Vaughn's groin.

"Tierne, left!" Soris yelled. Tierne obeyed his cousin and sidestepped sharply to the left in time for a crossbow bolt to fly past him and into Vaughn's chest. The Bann staggered a bit before falling over onto his front, causing the bolt to pierce through his body and come out the other end. Tierne had no time to check Vaughn's status as he was struck in the solar plexus with a shield right afterwards. He kicked at the kneecap of his attacker, causing the man to draw back. This gave Tierne the opportunity he needed to swing his dagger around the shield and bury his blade into the noble's neck. As that man too dropped to the floor, Tierne saw the third noble fall with a crossbow bolt buried into his forehead. The immediate danger having passed, Tierne ignored the pain throbbing in his chest and rushed over to Shianni's trembling form.

"Shianni, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He could feel tears begin to well in his eyes as he hugged his friend closely. "I won't fail you again, I can't fail you again." His mind was briefly aware of the pain in his chest fading as the dizziness from earlier in the day returned.

"Blood, you're bleeding!" Shianni managed to sputter as the remains of her wedding clothes began to take on a red hue. "Tierne, don't die! Please!"

He couldn't die, he wouldn't die. The sheer will to live carried him conscious through the blur of the rest of the day. Nesiara and Soris forced him to lie still as Valora, who thankfully knew a bit of practical medicine, ripped up Tierne's shirt and used it as a bandage to stem the bleeding. He remembered getting to his feet and leaning against Nesiara and Valora as Soris guided them from the front past dead bodies, past staring onlookers, past back alleys and back into the alienage. He remembered Duncan quickly examining his wound, saying that a blunt blow caused the large cut in his chest he obtained at the wedding to reopen. He remembered little else of the day besides being ordered to get some rest and being led to his room where he quickly fell asleep.


	3. The Grey Wardens

A/N: Thank you all for your support! And as you will find out this chapter, this is more than just a retelling of the game. There will be some key changes.

~*~

The next morning, Tierne was awoken by his father frantically calling his name from downstairs.. He quickly pulled on his casual clothes and stepped outside to be greeted with the sight of a squadron of the city's guards talking to Valendrian. A small crowd of elves, including his father, surrounded them, and Tierne saw Duncan standing near the edge.

"What is it you want from us?" Valendrian asked.

"It should be obvious. Bann Vaughn and all his guards lie dead, but the elven servants were unharmed, and they refuse to implicate anyone in the murder. It follows that the guilty party lies here, in the alienage. It will be much easier for all involved if those responsible step forwards. If not, I will have to ask around for information. I will be reasonable, at first." He spoke plainly and clearly, though his final words held a twinge of malice that struck Tierne, and his insides turned to ice.. The guards were going to find out, there was no doubt about that. The only possible punishment for killing a noble was execution. His eyes met Soris', who was standing in the crowd. They were both doomed, they were both going to be killed unless Tierne did something drastic.

"I killed Vaughn and the guards. They had it coming after what they did and I'll never regret it!" Tierne tried to say, but in reality all that emerged was an incomprehensible squeak.

"Yes, you, did you say something?" The guard asked, turning in Tierne's direction.

"I said I did it, I was the one who killed them." The second attempt was better. At least time he managed to use words.

The guard stepped forwards and took a moment to study Tierne, who tried not to falter under the human's gaze. "A scrawny elf like you killed all those guards alone? You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth. I might not look it, but appearances can be deceiving. I've got a good hand with a blade, and most of the guards didn't see me as a serious opponent." Tierne replied, having found a theory in his mind.

"Well, I can see why they would underestimate you. Heh, you might be a murderer, but I admire your speaking up and making this easier on your people. Come with me, you'll be staying in the dungeons until the execution."

Hearing the word "execution" brought the truth home to Tierne. He really was going to be executed now. At least he could take solace in the fact Soris would be safe. He tried to bid his legs to move and take those steps out of the alienage, out of his home. But they seemed reluctant to obey. He had just managed to lift a foot when Duncan's voice called out.

"Stop, please release this elf into my custody." The crowd parted to make way for the Grey Warden as he walked to Tierne and put a hand on his shoulder.

"But Ser, he killed a Bann! The law states-"

"I know what the law states, but did you know the law states the Grey Wardens' Right of Conscription overrules things such as city executions?"

"I, I mean, of course." The guard nodded as he gestured to Tierne. "Whatever your reasons, he is now yours. It seems we have no more business here men, let us go." With that, he motioned to his fellow guards and together they left the alienage, leaving a confused Tierne in their wake.

"Wait a minute, Right of Conscription? Does this mean I won't be executed?" He asked. Duncan laughed.

"Yes, it means you've been chosen to join the Grey Wardens instead. There is little time; we depart immediately."

Tierne shook his head as the impact of Duncan's words hit him. "We're leaving? Now? Could I at least say my goodbyes?"

"Make them quick." Duncan said with a nod. Tierne started to look around before Soris walked up to him.

"I guess this is where we part ways, cousin. You saved my life back there, I'm sure of it, and I'll never forget you for it. If you are ever able to visit, well, it seems unlikely while fighting the Darkspawn and all, but I'd love to see you again."

"Nesiara and Shianni are in the house." Tierne turned around to face his father as Cyrion spoke. "Your mother would be proud of you."

"And you?" Tierne asked.

"I'll always be proud of you son." His father concluded. Tierne smiled faintly before slipping back into the house. Almost immediately, Nesiara crashed into him and wrapped him up tightly in a hug before letting go and standing back to look at him.

"Tierne, I heard what they said through the door. You're leaving?"

"I'm afraid so." He said.

"I see. I guess we'll never know what would have happened with us, what our life would have been like."

"No, we won't know. And, well, I don't really know what else to say."

Nesiara smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

"I really do like you, and I could see myself falling in love with you, but it won't do us any good to talk about what might have been. Just don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Now, I'm sure you'll want to see Shianni. She went in your room about a minute before you walked in here. Goodbye, and may the Maker walk with you on your path."

"Goodbye Nesiara, and best of luck." He quickly hugged her before leaving for his room. Shianni was sitting on his bed, and she looked up as he entered.

"Tierne? Is it true, you're becoming a Grey Warden?" She asked.

"It is. Duncan wants me to leave immediately. There's also, well, I wanted to apologize for not being able to save you in time."

"But you did! Those monsters would have probably ended my life had you not intervened, not to mention Valora and Nesiara escaped mostly unharmed. I've been damaged, but I will recover. I'm not a fragile little doll."

"I've never doubted your strength, Shianni, but if such a thing happened to me," Tierne shuddered at the thought.

"Then grow stronger." Shianni said, interrupting him. "Your body is strong from training, but you must strengthen your mind, your constitution. Grow stronger, and then maybe I'll worry less about you fighting the Darkspawn as a Grey Warden. Now go, we'll be counting on you to rise above this place and save this world from the Blight."

"Shianni," Tierne murmured, "I'll grow stronger for you, I'll grow stronger for Thedas, I promise."

"Good, I'll hold you to that." With that, she stood up and hugged Tierne tightly. "Love you, Cousin."

"Love you too, Shianni." He said as he returned the hug. With one last look at his room, he left and walked back outside.

"Ready now?" Duncan asked as Tierne stepped into the sun-drenched streets.

"I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Tierne replied.

"Then let us depart," Duncan said before walking towards the gates of the alienage. Tierne followed quietly until they had almost turned the corner to go out of sight. He turned back for a last look at his home and saw Soris at the head of the crowd. Soris jumped up and waved his arms while wearing a big goofy grin. Tierne smiled and repeated the gesture. Behind him, he could hear Duncan chuckle quietly.

The journey was fairly uneventful. Tierne soon learned they were headed towards an old city called Ostagar, which was where the king's forces and the rest of the Ferelden Grey Wardens were stationed. Before they left Denerim, Duncan purchased a set of light leather armor for Tierne. It was built more for a young human than an elf, but it didn't take him long to get past the initial discomfort. He had gotten used to the feel of it when they arrived at Ostagar. Tierne barely had time to take in the impressive stone ruins when a man ran up to them.

"Duncan, there you are! There's something that requires your attention immediately, King Cailan told me to consult you on the matter." Tierne took in the man's appearance as he spoke. He was tall and broad shouldered with a fat neck and face. The little hair he had was brown and cut close to the scalp, and he was wearing a suit of chain mail armor with a greatsword strapped to his back. He had with a twinge of panic in both his voice and expression of worry that Tierne felt would always be present. The man seemed to notice Tierne and raised an eyebrow at the elf. "Is this elf the new recruit?"

"Yes," Duncan spoke before Tierne had the chance to say anything. "This is Tierne Tabris, a capable man with a blade. Tierne, meet Ser Jory, one of your fellow recruits. Now Ser Jory, what is this urgent matter?"

"We've just received word that Teyrn Cousland from Highever was killed by Arl Howe's men!" Jory almost sputtered out the words. Duncan brought a hand to his beard in thought before responding.

"I see, and how do we know this?"

"Lady Elissa Cousland arrived at Ostagar just this morning. She and her brother Fergus are the only survivors of the Cousland family. She was separated from her brother, but he told her he would be in Ostagar."

"And why does the King want my consultation on the matter?"

"Well, he plans to deal with Howe himself after the battle, but he wants your opinion on what to do with Elissa. As you know she is a capable fighter, and once she discovered Daveth and I were Grey Warden recruits she asked if it was possible for her to join as well. That was the matter on which His Majestydesired your consultation."

"Wait, what's going on? A Teyrn was murdered?" Tierne asked. He didn't know much about the noble families outside of Denerim, but he understood the gravity of the situation.

"Yes Tierne," Duncan replied, "but that is no business of the Grey Wardens. Our concern is ending the Blight; we will let the king deal with politics. As for Elissa, please take us to her, Ser Jory."

The three of them walked across a wide stone bridge suspended over a deep gorge. Tierne felt himself shiver as their footsteps echoed. He had never been this close to such a steep drop before.

"This bridge has held for hundreds of years, and it has borne greater loads than us. You have nothing to fear." Duncan said with a grin..

"Was it really that obvious I was afraid?" He asked. Duncan shook his head.

"I've had to learn to study others, find the flaws in their front that could prevent them from achieving their potential. It is by weighing these flaws against a person's strengths how I choose my recruits."

"How you chose me?" Tierne asked.

"Exactly. Now here we are at the end of the bridge, safe and sound. Over there is your king, and it appears he has the young noble Elissa with him. Come, let us see to this matter." Tierne looked in the direction Duncan indicated and saw a man and a woman talking while surrounded by an official-looking guard regiment. The man, whom Tierne understood to be King Cailan, was dressed in black and golden armor. The woman looked to be around Tierne's age and had on a simple suit of grey chain mail. They both had long blonde hair, but the man's flowed freely while the woman had hers tied back.

"Duncan, Ser Jory, hello there!" Cailan called out enthusiastically. "I was just talking to Elissa about her future plans. First her parents were murdered, and now we've just had reports that her brother's troops were ambushed and disappeared shortly before her arrival. I was thinking- wait, hello!" He stepped towards Tierne who was rather unsure of what to do. Having your king casually walk over to you was not something that happened in the alienage well, at all. The King's grin put him slightly at ease as the he spoke again.

"You must be the new recruit, from where do you hail?"

"The...the Denerim alienage." Tierne stuttered.

"Really? How are things there? I've wanted to visit for some time but my guard has been quite insistent on forbidding me." The silly smile was still on King Cailan's face.

"The alienage? A place to visit? You, you don't have any idea what's going on there, do you?" Tierne's anger flared, surprising even him.

The King's grin drooped slightly.

"What do you mean?" He asked, confused..

"There are some things that have happened in Denerim," Duncan spoke up, "that you should know about, my lord, but we can get to them later. The Blight should be our primary concern. Elissa, your father has informed me of your skills with sword and shield. I consider his testimony enough to recruit you into the Grey Wardens. Now, the King and I have much to discuss, but we need to prepare you all for your joining immediately. The three of you need to go and find Daveth, the fourth recruit for this joining, and Alistair, a Grey Warden who will be helping you. Make sure you have all the equipment you need; there is a quartermaster in the camp. Give me about an hour's time to make preparations with the King and his men, then meet me at my fire near the gate to the Wilds."

"Right," Elissa said as she nodded. Her voice was full of confidence and had an almost musical quality. "We will stop at the quartermaster's first and see if we can't find Daveth along the way. Gentlemen, if you would?" With a proud stride, she led Tierne and Jory towards the camp.

Daveth was easily found, flirting with a female guard right next to the quartermaster. Elissa quickly chided him before taking the lead in pooling their money to buy supplies, including a sharp new dagger and longsword set for Tierne. As the four recruits set off to find the man Alistair, Tierne took the time to survey his new companions. Unlike himself, they carried themselves with a purposeful posture. If he was to become one of these fabled Grey Wardens, if he was to become a hero, if he was to become a man who would make his home proud, he could do worse than try to become like them.


	4. At Ostagar

A/N: No major notes for this chapter. Alistair makes an appearance, yay! As always, thank you for your support and Dragon Age is not mine in any way, shape, or form.

~*~

It didn't take long for the small group of recruits to find the Grey Warden Alistair. He was engaged in a verbal sparring match with a man whom Tierne quickly learned was a mage. After the mage departed in a bit of a huff, Elissa walked up to Alistair.

"You must be Alistair. We're the new Grey Warden recruits, Duncan told us to find you."

"The new recruits?" Alistair asked as he looked over the four. "That's interesting, I haven't met a female recruit before, nor an elven one. Daveth and Ser Jory I've met, who are you two?"

Elissa spoke up before Tierne had the chance. "I am Elissa Cousland, daughter of the late Teryn of Highever."

"Right, Elissa, I heard you were in camp but I hadn't seen you yet. Terribly sorry about the whole Highever business. Ser Jory informed me earlier. So, you are to become a Grey Warden now? And you," Alistair said as he turned to Tierne, "What is your story?."

"Well," Tierne started as he debated the best way to state things, "To make a long story short, Duncan recruited me from the Denerim alienage. He wanted to recruit my mother long ago, but the community wouldn't let him. My mother passed on her skills to me before her death, and by recruiting me Duncan saved me from my execution by recruiting me."

"You too, eh?" Daveth said with a chuckle as he clapped Tierne on the back. "So, what're you? Another cutpurse?" Tierne shook his head as Daveth continued. "Then what? A burglar? Member of a crime group? Murderer? You know, come to think of it, you haven't even told us your name. Do you have one?" Before Tierne could respond, he heard a familiar voice call out.

"Tierne Tabris! Is that you? What are you doing here?" His heart fell as his mind identified the voice and he turned to face his greeter. Nessa's father was walking towards Tierne, with the former's wife not far behind. "How is Nessa? Didn't you say you would stay behind and protect her?" All eyes were on Tierne now.

"Um," well, that was a start, "This is going to be hard to explain. You see, Bann Vaughn came to the alienage during my wedding to bring some women to his palace for, er, entertainment purposes. Nessa was one of the ones taken. I went to the palace to rescue her, but by the time I arrived, she had been killed. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

Tierne lowered his head in shame as several things happened in quick succession. Nessa's mother cried out and brought her hands to her face in shock. Nessa's father let loose a primal sounding scream and threw a punch at Tierne's jaw. Tierne saw the punch coming, but his mind made the split second decision to take the blow. The fist connected with his jaw and he fell to the floor. He heard shouts from Alistair and his fellow recruits as well as their footsteps as they rushed over. There was a blend of confusion and yelling before some one helped Tierne sit up and he was able to get a good look at the situation.

Elissa was the one who supported his shaking frame as he looked around. Alistair was standing in front of them in a protective stance with his shield drawn but his sword sheathed. Around him, Tierne could see Daveth holding Nessa's father, who looked just as shocked as Tierne felt. Ser Jory was standing near Nessa's mother with a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"What's going on here?" A soldier yelled as multiple onlookers rushed over to see the commotion. Elissa helped Tierne stand as the others quickly tried to explain the situation.

"Please, listen!" Tierne called out. "It's my fault, there was a promise I failed to keep, please don't hold it against- ow!" He winced as the adrenaline wore off and he felt a strong ache in his mouth and jaw, as well as a warm liquid drippingpouring out of his mouth.

"Right, can some one see to the elf who was hit?" The guard asked. Elissa nodded before taking Tierne by the arm.

"Come this way, I have some healing suppliesthings." Tierne tried to resist, but Elissa's grip was strong. "Don't worry about them, I'm sure the other three will take care of it." Reluctantly, Tierne allowed himself to be led towards a pile of crates. Elissa gestured towardindicated one of them and he sat down on it. As Elissa dug through her bag and emerged with a healing poultice, she spoke.

"I learned you can cut these open and use the herbs inside for smaller wounds. I've had a bit of injury training from looking after the mabari in my family's kennels. I don't imagine the procedures would be too different for a human.- Or, ratherwell, an elf." She cut open the poultice and pulled a few pinches of herbs out before crushing them between her gauntleted hands. "Here, open up."

His jaw was hurting too much for a normal response to her odd request, so Tierne raised an eyebrow at her instead.

"Open your mouth. Your teeth probably bit your tongue or cheek when you were punched, and that caused a cut which is causing the blood. You can't see it, but you've been bleeding from your mouth since you were hit. I need to see where the cut is. Open up."

Feeling very much like a young child being checked on by a healer, Tierne opened his mouth and allowed Elissa to look inside.

"Yup, you bit your tongue and it's bleeding. Hold still." With that, Elissa reached into his mouth and pressed the crushed herbs onto Tierne's tongue. The cut soon started to sting, causing Tierne to wince as Elissa pulled her hand back.

"Okay," she said before taking off her gauntlets. "Keep that on your tongue. Time for the next part. I'm going to have to feel your jaw to see if any bones are broken. This will hurt." Before Tierne could protest, she swiftly ran her bare hands along his jaw line, pressing slightly. He almost cried out when her fingers touched a sore spot, but he managed to restrain himself. Elissa didn't take any longer than she needed and pulled her hands away with a satisfied nod.

"Good, you're just bruised. This should help." She took out a waterskin and poured a splash of water onto the rest of the poultice before handing it to Tierne. "Hold this against the tender area, it'll make it heal faster."

Tierne tried to protest against using up her healing supplies, but before he managed the first word the movement of his tongue caused him to swallow some of the bitter herbs in his mouth, making him almost choke. Once he managed to prove to himself he could still breathe again, he did as he was told. Elissa did not seem like the type to lose many arguments, especially when the opposition was literally speechless.

"Everyone alright over there?" Tierne recognized Alistair's voice and looked up to see the Grey Warden, along with Daveth and Ser Jory, walking towards them. Tierne managed to remember that his last attempt at talking brought only pain, so he stayed quiet and allowed Elissa to speak for him.

"The impact bruised his jaw and caused him to bite his tongue, but he should be fine. Don't ask him anything, it will be best if he doesn't talk for the next few minutes." She replied.

"I can't believe that man would just strike him like that." Jory said, his eyes wide as he stared at the quickly drying blood on Tierne's chin and neck.

"He just found out he had lost a loved one. That's never easy, and different people react in different ways." Elissa let the weight of her words linger on the air, and Tierne remembered she had just lost family as well.

"Right, well, nothing too bad is going to happen to that elf, if you were worried Tierne." Alistair spoke up. "I managed to talk the guards into just cutting his wages." He seemed to spot the confused look on Tierne's face so he continued, "If you're wondering why the three of us humans decided to stand up for an elf, it was because you clearly wanted him to not be punished. You're one of us, and the Grey Wardens stand together to take care of our own. Come on now, surely us big scary humans aren't all that bad. Oh, okay, I'm not being fair, blathering away when you can't say anything back. Here, why don't we wait here for a while and then go see Duncan?"

It only took a few minutes before Tierne was able to spit out the herbs on his tongue and take the poultice off his jaw. The five of them soon fell into a steady rhythm of conversation. It wasn't long before they knew each other's stories,. They all found out hhow Alistair was raised by Arl Eamon of Redcliffe and was given to the chantry;. They found out about Elissa's life as a noble in Highever and her family's betrayal at the hands of her father's closest friend;. They found out about Ser Jory's time in Redcliffe and how he met his wife and moved to Highever;. They found out how Daveth lived as a pickpocket in Denerim for years until he cut Duncan's purse. And, Ffinally, they found out about Tierne's life in the Denerim Alienage and how he became a murderer in his only half-successful attempt to save his friends. Elissa, Alistair, and Jory were soon talking together about knights and nobles Tierne had never heard of. He tried to pull Daveth into a conversation, but the rogue shrugged and didn't seem too interested. Out of the corner of his eye, Tierne noticed a man trying to wave him over. After briefly excusing himself, he jogged over to see what the man wanted.

~*~

"What was that about?" Daveth asked as Tierne returned to the group. The other three, previously engrossed in conversation, looked up with curiosity.

"I'm not sure," Tierne admitted, "But I think I just agreed to go into the Wilds to find a flower for a mabari who swallowed Darkspawn blood." He shrugged, "I never really wanted a dog. I was attacked by one when I was younger and my mother had to kill it to save me. Still, I suppose if I just pick a flower for it, that'll be an easy enough way to save a life. I don't know if I'll be going into the Wilds though."

"You will be," came Duncan's voice from behind Tierne, causing the elf to jump. As he turned around, he saw the other four stand up in respect.

"As much as I enjoy seeing you all get along, I would appreciate your punctuality." Duncan said, though he was smiling warmly. "The four of you are not yet Grey Wardens. There are two important tasks I must have you complete, and they will take you to the Kocari Wilds surrounding the camp."

"The Wilds? With the Darkspawn?" Jory asked with a shake in his voice.

"It is the duty of the Grey Wardens to fight and defeat Darkspawn. It is only natural your initiation would have this aspect. Now, I will need you to go into the Wilds and collect four vials of Darkspawn blood, one for each recruit. There are also some Grey Warden ruins to the south. Within these ruins you will find a chest bearing our insignia. This chest holds treaties that promise aid to the Grey Wardens in times of need. I need you to retrieve these treaties and bring them back to me."

"A vial of blood for each of us, and these treaties. Understood." Elissa responded. "Anything else?"

"Alistair will be accompanying the four of you. Full fledged Grey Wardens are able to sense the Darkspawn, so you won't be caught unawares. Now, I suggest you head off before darkness falls."

~*~

Tierne's original expectation was for the Darkspawn to be more challenging opponents than the guards at Vaughn's palace. This turned out to be only halfway true. Their strikes were stronger, their tactics were harsher, and their fighting style more vicious. However, Tierne and his companions had two points in their favor. Firstly, they were not burdened by thoughts of morality. These were no farmers that had turned to mugging to feed their children; they were twisted beings of depravity who existed to extinguish humanity. Second, the recruits soon learned that the Darkspawn put the extermination of life as their highest priority. This often left their defenses open, allowing one of the others in the Grey Warden quintet to strike. The five quickly discovered their best strategy was to have Elissa and Alistair charge with their shields and heavy armor to draw the Darkspawns' attention while Tierne and Ser Jory ran around to flank and Daveth peppered them with arrows from afar. This strategy served them well, and they made it near the ruins with little difficulty.

The ruins were in sight now, and all of the vials had been filled. Alistair had nodded, the signal that more Darkspawn were ahead. Elissa was about to join him and charge forwards when Tierne grabbed her arm.

"Alistair, Elissa, stop!" He whispered. "There are traps!" He quickly pointed to an array of leghold traps lying under leaves and torn grass. Without another word, he knelt next to the traps and started disarming them one by one. He was so engrossed in his work, he didn't notice the hiss of an arrow aimed for his head.

"Tierne, look out!" Jory called as Elissa quickly took action. She held her shield above Tierne's head and held her arm steady as the arrow crashed into the metal. "Daveth, return fire!" She ordered. If the rogue had an objection to Elissa's tone, Tierne didn't notice it as arrows soon flew in both directions above his head. He managed to keep his hands steady and soon enough the last trap snapped harmlessly closed.

"Ok, now!" Tierne called out as he got to his feet and drew his blades. Alistair and Elissa kept their shields raised and Tierne and Jory took cover behind them and the four charged under the cover of Daveth's fire. Their blades made quick work of the remaining Darkspawn, and while the recruits caught their breath Alistair reported that he could sense no more of them in the area.

"These must be the ruins then, they have to be!" Tierne exclaimed as he stepped forwards into what once was probably a magnificent fortress. "And here's the chest with the insignia, just like Duncan said, only-" He paused as he saw the chest was shattered. He walked over to it and knelt down before sifting through the pieces.

"Only what?" Elissa asked as she and the others caught up.

"The treaties, they're gone! This can't be happening." Tierne's voice grew panicked as his searching grew more frantic.

"Oh, but it is." A mysterious female voice wafted towards them and a young woman with raven colored hair stepped into the clearing. "And what have we here, I wonder. Scavengers? Thieves?" As Tierne stood back up, he couldn't help but wonder if this woman was dangerous.

"We're neither, we're Grey Wardens, and we're here for the treaties you stole!" Elissa called out boldly.

"Don't anger her Elissa," Daveth said, his voice trembling. "I'll bet she's a witch of the Wilds!"

"A witch of the Wilds? So she could turn us into frogs?" Ser Jory responded.

"Witch or no, I don't think she can be trusted." Alistair said, his voice the calmest of the group.

"And how about you?" The woman turned her golden-eyed gaze to Tierne. "Am I a witch? A thief? A danger?"

Tierne responded with a shrug, "I don't know who you are, we've just met."

"I wouldn't call this a proper meeting. You haven't even told me your name."

"Don't tell her." Elissa ordered. Tierne shook his head.

"She'sYou've done nothing to endanger us so far," he said to Elissa before turning back to the witch.. "My name is Tierne Tabris. Pleasure to meet you."

"And there is a proper greeting!: fFrom an elf, no less. I've decided I like you. You may call me Morrigan." The woman responded as her gaze softened. "My mother removed these treaties long ago. Come, I will take you to her." Without another word, the woman called Morrigan turned around and began to walk through the forest. Tierne saw no option but to start following, and the rest of the group soon joined him.


	5. The Joining

"So, we've all passed then? Hopefully with flying colors?" Ser Jory spoke hopefully as the recruits and Alistair walked back into camp. "I mean, we've gotten the blood and the treaties, what more is there for us to do? Alistair?" The knight asked.

"If we didn't tell you about going into the Wilds, what makes you think we'd tell you what comes next?" Alistair replied, sounding a little annoyed.

Morrigan had recently left the group near the edge of the Wilds after the group's encounter with her mother. The woman called Flemeth had mentioned Ser Jory's effect on the world would be a slight one, and he had been jumpy ever since. Tierne had stayed near the back of the group, deep in thought. There would have to be another part to the test, something involving the blood or the treaties, most likely the blood. Tierne could see a use for the treaties outside of just collecting them, but the blood was a mystery. As the group could barely see Duncan's outline in the camp, Tierne remembered the flower he had tucked in his belt.

"You guys go ahead, I need to deliver this flower to the kennel master." Tierne spoke, before he quickly changed his mind. "Actually, Ser Jory? Mind coming with me? The kennel master had me muzzle the injured beast and I barely managed. You're bigger than I am; if he needs to restrain the dog again you'd probably fare better."

"Urm, sure thing." Jory replied before joining Tierne walking towards the kennels. When they were out of earshot of the other three, the knight spoke up. "There's another reason you wanted to talk to me, isn't there?"

Tierne nodded. "It's just that I thought you were scared. You've been acting so nervous after that woman, Flemeth, said what she did."

"Well, wouldn't you be? How would you react if you were accepted into this elite order with a possible additional test but you had just been told you would have no effect on the world?"

"To be honest, I'd be a complete mess." Tierne replied. "I'd be so broken down that I'd neglect to consider that from what we've seen of Flemeth, we can tell she enjoys toying with people. I wouldn't consider the possibility that she was just saying things to shake me, and I'd let her words destroy me." The two men arrived at the kennel, and before Tierne looked away to get the flower from his belt he could see Ser Jory looking down in deep thought.

A few pleasantries were exchanged with the kennel master. The man said yes, that was the flower, and no, he didn't need the mabari muzzled again. He asked Tierne to return after the battle to check on the war dog again, which he somewhat reluctantly agreed to.

"You don't want a dog? I've had quite a few in my time, just as pets though. They're loyal creatures and I've heard mabari are quite useful." Ser Jory said as they walked back towards the others.

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Tierne said with a shrug, "But every mabari I've met, which hasn't been many mind you, has tried to kill me. It would be a rather awkward relationship. So, I suppose it's time for our last test. Remember, you can change the effect you have on the world, don't let that woman shake you."

"Thank you, Tierne." Jory smiled, the first smile Tierne had seen from him since they had met. They soon reached the others, where Tierne caught the tail end of a conversation where Alistair was talking about Morrigan and Flemeth. Duncan seemed to have the final say in the matter, and his voice took a more official tone as Tierne and Jory caught up with the group.

"Finally, we come to the Joining. The first Grey Wardens drank of the Darkspawn blood and mastered its taint. So will you drink of this blood as your final test. Those who are worthy within themselves shall join our ranks."

"And the others? The ones who don't become Grey Wardens?" Daveth asked.

"We Wardens pay a heavy price to become what we are. Fate may decree that you pay your price now rather than later." Duncan said as he looked over the recruits.

"So, drinking the blood can kill us?" Elissa spoke up. Duncan acknowledged her with a nod before speaking again.

"Alistair, take the recruits to the old temple. I will make the final preparations with the blood." With that, Duncan turned around and walked away.

Tierne didn't remember much of the walk to the temple. His mind had been sent reeling. It was a similar feeling as to when he thought he was being executed for Bann Vaughn's death. His entire life, everything leading up to this, could be taken away by chance. When they arrived at the temple, Alistair quietly leaned against a pillar, leaving the recruits to mill about. Jory immediately started pacing.

"This is what that woman meant, isn't it? I'm not meant to pass this test, that's why I won't effect the world. I'm going to die."

"You don't know that!" Tierne protested. "You need to fight back against her words." He was well aware of the fact that his voice, nay, his whole body was shaking. Still, he had to help the other three as best he could. Even if he wasn't Grey Warden material, even if he died, he had to at least try to push the others forwards.

"Fighting against words, fighting against blood, I've just never fought anything that I couldn't fight with my blade." Jory said, his voice almost as shaky as Tierne's.

"Then don't fight with your blade!" Tierne exclaimed, his voice surprisingly stronger. "Fight Flemeth's words with your mind, your will. Fight the blood with your mouth and your belly. Just fight, fight so this world will be a better place, and you'll be bound to leave your mark in it."

The other four stared at him before Daveth spoke up. "Did you really just tell us to fight using our mouths and bellies?" The pickpocket also had a tremor in his voice, betraying his nervousness. Out of the corner of his eye, Tierne could see Alistair shake his head and rest his forehead in his palm.

"So what if I did? You shouldn't stop fighting with whatever you can. I was taught that there were many ways to fight, not just with a blade."

"A noble sentiment." Elissa said with a nod. Her voice, unlike those of the men around her, was calm. "Still, I can't help feeling I'm the bravest of all of us, and I'm a woman."

Tierne shrugged. "I don't really see what one has to do with the other. The two bravest people I've known in my life are women."

"Really?" Ser Jory asked. "Who would they be? Not your intended wife you told us about? You mentioned you hadn't even known her a day."

"No, not her." Tierne said with a shake of his head. "My mother and my cousin. My mother was killed some time ago, but my cousin, well, she's still in Denerim. I guess part of why I'm so nervous, why I'm so afraid, is that I'm worried I'll die here and she and the others at the alienage will never know what happened."

"I understand." Ser Jory said as he lowered his head. "My wife is heavy with child now. I don't want to leave them alone in this world."

"Would you rather be with them in a world infested with darkspawn?" Elissa asked with a voice laced in frustration. Her patience seemed to be running thin with the knight's worrying.

"I don't think fighting amongst ourselves is going to kill any darkspawn." Tierne cut in as he crossed his arms. "Elissa, didn't you mention a brother here at Ostagar? Wouldn't you want him to know what happened?"

"What are you getting at?" Elissa asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't the four of us here make a pact? The only way this pact can be voided is if either none or all of us die in the Joining and against the darkspawn. If any of us die, the survivors do their best to tie up the loose ends of the fallen. I mean check on families, set affairs in order, let their loved ones know they died a hero, things like that."

Daveth chuckled before speaking. "Fine, I'll throw my lot in. But don't go looking for relatives of mine if I die. I guess, for my part, if you have a criminal who went about their way of life for survival, give them mercy for me."

Elissa nodded as she then spoke up. "Then if I fall, I ask that the survivors do their best to ensure that the criminal Rendon Howe is brought to justice, and that my brother Fergus Cousland is contacted." She finished with a strong nod to Jory.

"All- alright, I suppose you know what I will ask. If you can, see to it that my wife and child are taken care of and my wife informed. Tierne? My guess is you want the same for your family."

"Yes." The elf said as he felt his voice steadying. "Also, I know it might be a lot to ask, but if there's anything you can do in your positions of power to help the place of my people in this world, well, I'll be grateful."

Almost exactly as Tierne finished speaking, he heard footsteps behind him which caused him and the other recruits to turn their heads. It was Duncan, and he was holding a large goblet. As he looked over the four recruits, he offered a grim smile.

"At last we come to the joining. So it was that the first grey wardens drank of the darkspawn blood and mastered the taint."

"So that's what the joining is? Drinking the blood?" Elissa asked.

Duncan nodded to her. "As the first grey wardens did before us, as we did before you. Only a few words are said prior to the joining, but they have been spoken since the first. Alistair, if you would?"

Alistair responded by adopting a straighter posture as he began to speak. "Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that can not be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you." Duncan gave a satisfied nod before holding out the goblet.

"I'll go first!" Tierne piped up. The nerves messing with his mind were bringing him to a breaking point. If he saw one of the others die, right before his eyes, he didn't think he'd be able to handle it.

"Ahem," Duncan cleared his throat, though he did not lose his composure. "Tierne, it is traditional for the senior grey warden to call recruits forward." He said with an annoyed tone. "Although your enthusiasm is appreciated. You may step forwards."

"Right!" Tierne said as he took a step forwards. A moment passed before he realized Duncan was holding the goblet towards him expectantly. "Oh, um, sorry." He took the goblet in his hands as the coppery smell of the blood wafted over him. He couldn't back down now, he had to do this. With a grin, he turned to the other three recruits. "If I don't make it, tell Shianni that I remember the noodle incident, and that I lied. It really was my fault." Before any of the others had a chance to react, he held the goblet to his lips and took a deep drink.

Green. Acidy-green sky. Noises, rumbling, screaming, and a dragon. The tortured visage of a gigantic dragon. Shaking, everything shaking. Was this death?

"Welcome." Tierne heard the word pull him from the depths of dreaming. As he opened his eyes, he saw a familiar face look down on him.

"You.. Alistair?" Tierne slowly pushed himself up so he was sitting. "Ow.. my head.. does everyone pass out like that?"

"This was the first joining I attended besides my own, but from what I gather, yes, everyone does. Everyone who lives, that is."

"Then why don't we do the joining while we stand over pillows? It'd save us a headache.."

Alistair chuckled. "You can ask Duncan that. He's with the other survivor."

"Other..? There was only one more survivor!" Tierne struggled to his feet as he tried to peer around Alistair. He saw Duncan talking with some one tall, broad-shouldered, and heavily armored. Ser Jory turned towards Tierne and sent the elf a grateful smile.


	6. To the Beacon

"Wait, Daveth and Elissa are dead? Gone?" Tierne asked as he rubbed the back of his head where he hit the floor.

Alistair nodded. "They are, we lost two today. Only one recruit died during my joining, but it's never easy. I'm glad that you two made it though, it would have been rather a disappointment bringing you all here only for the four of you to drop like flies. Did you dream at all? I remember I had terrible dreams during my joining."

"Yes, I did. I remember there was green, a lot of green." Tierne replied. "How about you? Were your dreams red? Purple? Golden?"

Alistair chuckled. "No, I think all recruits dream of a green sky. Now come along, Duncan will want to see you." He tilted his head in the direction of the senior Grey Warden who was still talking to Jory. Tierne nodded and walked over. He caught a glimpse of the two bodies lying face down on the darkened ground and immediately turned his head to avert his eyes. In doing so, he caught Duncan's gaze. Duncan nodded to Tierne and held out his hand for the new grey warden to shake.

"It is done. Welcome." Duncan said with a grim smile which turned into a small frown as Tierne took Duncan's hand in both of his own and shook it weakly. Tierne sensed Duncan's discomfort and tried to think of something to say as he released his hand, but Duncan continued on.

"There is one more part to this ritual. We take some of that blood and keep it in a pendant, as a reminder of those who didn't make it this far. We call this pendant the Warden's Oath." As he spoke, Duncan reached out his other hand and handed Tierne a medium-sized pendant. Before taking it, Tierne briefly looked over and saw Jory holding one similar. Looking at the pendant in his hand, Tierne could see that it was a silver with a liquid in the vial. He couldn't see what color the liquid was in the dark, but he could guess. Darkspawn blood was black.

"Warden's Oath." Tierne said, turning the pendant around in his hand. "This is perfect, this will help us remember the promise we made. The oath we took. Our own warden's oath." Tierne caught a glimpse of dancing flames on the faint silver light, and he stared at it for a moment, transfixed. Slipping it onto his neck, he felt his resolve and constitution grow from the promise he made, the promise he and Jory had to keep alive.

"Have you quite finished, Tierne?" Duncan asked, snapping Tierne out of his thoughts. "You and Ser Jory have been invited to a meeting with the king and his advisors. Come this way, please."

Tierne could see Jory stand a little straighter before the knight spoke in astonishment, "King Cailan? To see us? It would be an honor; let's not keep him waiting." He and Duncan started walking towards what Tierne could make out as a small group of gathered men. Tierne started to follow, but felt a powerful weight fall over him. He couldn't just leave it like this. Summoning his fortitude, Tierne turned around and gazed at the bodies of Elissa and Daveth.

"Don't worry." He said softly, though he was fairly certain they couldn't hear him, "I'll keep my oath." With that, Tierne turned back around and did a small hustle/jog to catch up with Duncan and Jory.

"Well, I understand congratulations are in order for you two!" King Cailan enthusiased as Tierne and the others arrived at the gathering. The king was beaming with pride under the lantern-light. The reflections of flames dancing on his metallic armor seemed to give him an unearthly appearance.

"Thank you, my lord." Jory replied. "It is an honor to be counted amongst the fabled Grey Wardens, and an honor to know we will be fighting darkspawn together this battle."

"Yes, for me, too." Tierne piped up eagerly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see an armored man with long dark hair scowl at the two recruits. Then, the man spoke.

"Cailan, we will need to finalize the strategy for tonight's battle. If you insist upon joining the Grey Wardens on the front lines-"

Tierne wasn't able to catch the rest of the conversation. The Grey Wardens were going to be at the front lines. He was going to be at the front lines. Fighting small bands of darkspawn in the woods was one thing, but this would be the front lines of a war. He had no idea what war was like in the thick of battle. How would he survive it? How _could_ he survive it? A small voice in the back of his head reminded him that he was the king's guest here, and he couldn't just zone out and think of ways he could be killed. He shook himself and tried to focus.

"...and we'll have Alistair and the two new grey wardens stationed at the tower to ensure the beacon is lit." King Cailan concluded. "If it is such a vital task, we must send our best."

"So we won't be in the main fight?" Jory asked.

Cailan shook his head. "No. The lighting of the beacon is vital. Without it, Teyrn Loghain's men won't know when to charge. If all goes well, you may rejoin the battle once the beacon is lit. I must go now and make final preparations for our charge. Maker watch over you all."

"Very well." Duncan said. "Jory, Tierne, come with me to find Alistair. We will have to brief him of your mission. Your Majesty, I will see you at the front lines." With a wave of his hand Duncan beckoned the two recruits to follow. They walked for a little while through the camp. Tierne could see various groups of soldiers preparing weapons. He spotted the hound master gathering together mabari hounds. He could see some elves handing out quivers of arrows to archers. Looking a bit closer, he saw Nessa's parents amongst them. He turned his head sharply to look away. He thought her mother might have seen him, but he wasn't sure. He didn't want to be sure. He kept his head down and didn't risk looking around until they found Alistair. After a quick briefing, the young Grey Warden was livid.

"We're not going to be in the battle?" Alistair exclaimed, hands balled in fists at his side with his face frozen in a pout.

"This is by the king's personal request, Alistair." Duncan said, looking more than a little frustrated. "You'll be able to join the battle once the beacon is lit."

"I understand." Alistair said as his face relaxed and he started to smile. "But if the king orders me to put on a dress and dance the Remigold, I'm drawing the line."

"I don't know." Tierne said, smirking. "It could be a pretty good distraction."

"True," Alistair said with a chuckle, "they'd be entranced by me shimmying down the line. I might have to rethink my position on that one."

"How can you two be so relaxed at a time like this?" Jory demanded as he stood up a bit straighter. "The king is depending on us!" Tierne looked over to Duncan, who had a hand held to his face in annoyance.

"I'm sorry. You won't have to worry about the beacon, Duncan. We'll get it done." Tierne tried to sound as reassuring as possible.

"Right." Alistair chimed in. "May the Maker watch over you, Duncan."

"You too, Alistair. And you as well, Tierne and Jory." Duncan said before his features softened into an almost fatherly smile. "Now I must be going. Alistair will know the signal for lighting the beacon."

"Goodbye!" Tierne called before waving frantically with both arms. With one last smile to the three of them, Duncan turned around and disappeared into the camp's stewing preparations.

It was all the three men could do to join the frantic camp in preparing for battle. Within minutes, those on the front lines had left camp to meet the darkspawn hordes and the Teyrn's flankers were soon behind. Only a few more minutes passed before the sounds of battle could be heard. After a brief pause to unload any unneeded supplies, Alistair motioned for the others to set off and they sprinted through the camp, doing their best to cope with the din around them.

"So, where is this tower, anyways?" Tierne asked, breathing heavily as he ran.

"You don't know?" came Jory's response. "How could you not know? You were at the meeting when we discussed it. Weren't you paying attention? How did some one like you even pass the joining?"

Tierne recoiled from the words like they were a slap. How did he pass the joining? Daveth and Jory, most likely, and Elissa, most definitely, were more deserving than he. Well, it didn't matter now how he did it. He was here now, and Ferelden was counting on him to help stop the Blight. For now, it seemed Jory and Alistair knew the correct way to go. He could simply follow them until they reached darkspawn that needed stabbing. That's right, it would be easy to-

He stopped suddenly at the edge of the bridge.

"Tierne, something wrong?" Alistair asked as Tierne hesitated before the bridge before him. Soldiers were dotted along the narrow walkway firing off arrows and ballistae, while darkspawn catapults returned fire with boulders.

"I... it's just... so _high_," Tierne managed to stammer. He turned to his companions and saw Jory's face crease in disapproval. "No, it's... I can do it!" With that, he turned back to the bridge and started sprinting down the walkway. It took the other two men a few seconds to catch up with him. Despite the smells of sweat and smoke filling his nostrils, despite the dull roar of shouting orders to the archers, despite the boulders hurling towards him covered with flaming dead grass that could set him aflame, despite the feeling of being high up on a narrow walkway, Tierne smiled. He might not have deserved to pass the joining, but he would show the others that he could become a man worthy of the title of Grey Warden.

The three Grey Wardens soon neared the tower. Tierne recognized it from when he first walked into the camp with Duncan, but something seemed amiss. He had no chance to question what was wrong, however, as two men ran towards him. One was in the standard guard armor while the other was decked in mage's robes. The guard started to stammer before he even had a chance to catch his breath.

"You three, Grey Wardens?" He managed. "The tower, taken!"

"What do you mean man? Taken how?" Alistair called out, his voice assuming a tone of command that surprised Tierne with its strength.

"The darkspawn, they swarmed us! They were everywhere!" The mage replied. Alistair looked up to the top of the tower. Tierne followed his gaze and saw that the beacon was not yet lit.

"Then we have to storm through the tower and light the beacon ourselves!" Alistair called out. "The five of us, now! Let's go!"

"Understood!" Tierne said, unsheathing his weapons. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Now wasn't the time to be afraid. The king, Duncan, and all the other grey wardens were depending on them to light the signal for the flankers. As soon as Alistair charged, Tierne ran right behind him into the fray. A mess of guards were battling darkspawn skirmishers in the courtyard. The group of five ran through them, slashing and stabbing their way where they could. Soon enough they made it to the door of the tower proper. The mage shot fire from his hands to scorch the few straggling darkspawn running towards them. Alistair and the guard stood ready with their shields to meet whatever came through the door. Tierne held his breath as Jory flung open the heavy door, and the darkspawn came running through.

Step, turn, stab, twist the blade, kick! Tierne closed his eyes briefly as the blood from the short, squat darkspawn splattered over his face. He opened them again as he heard his opponent hit the ground with a thump. There were more of them, a lot more. He couldn't see all the darkspawn in the tower, but his new found ability gave him a vague awareness of their presence around him. Well, he had survived the Kocari Wilds, he had survived the darkspawn here so far, maybe he could survive this, too. There was nothing else to do besides carry on.

"Last floor!" Tierne called out as he half-collapsed against the door to the roof. As he did so, he almost recoiled. There was a powerful presence on the other side of the door, a presence unlike the darkspawn he had faced before.

"Something wrong?" The guard called out. He and the mage were looking at Tierne curiously, but Alistair and Jory had the same look of apprehension. Alistair spoke up for the three of them.

"We Grey Wardens can sense the darkspawn. I can sense something powerful beyond this door, and I think my companions can, too. Let me go first," he said to Jory and Tierne, squaring his shoulders. "Whatever it is, we'll have to face it to light the beacon."

"Right!" The guard replied, looking more than a little nervous. "Elf, open the door!"

Tierne winced at the guard's commanding tone but reminded himself that this was no time for correcting terms of address. With a nod from Alistair, he flung the door open and was greeted with a roar that almost knocked him off his feet. The creature on top of the roof was enormous, easily twice Tierne's height. It had a grotesquely muscular form and two cruel-looking horns sprouting from its head. The thing roared again, and was met by a cry from Alistair as he rushed forwards. The rest of the group ran through the door behind Alistair, while Tierne quickly re-drew his blades and followed.

"Look out!" The mage called in Tierne's direction. Tierne ducked just in time for a punch from the beast to fly above his head. Looking up, he saw the punch crash into the shield Alistair was holding up to absorb the blow.

"If any of you can light the beacon, do it now!" Alistair yelled from behind his shield. Tierne looked around. He was fairly near the beacon, but Jory was closer. He saw the knight drop his sword and run towards the pyre. The beast roared again and charged at Jory. Before anyone could react, it scooped his large frame in one hand and started pummeling him with the other. The first punch caused what looked like a broken nose, the second a fractured jaw. Before the third punch could land, Tierne had made his move. He stabbed his dagger into the beast's bulk and used it as leverage to swing himself up and into position. Quickly, he slashed down with his long sword on the shoulder of the arm that held Jory. The beast howled in pain and dropped the knight as its third punch went wild.

"Everyone watch out!" Tierne called as the bestial darkspawn thrashed. Alistair and the two guards stepped back to avoid the thing's flailing arms. Tierne drew his weapons out of the beast's body and brought them down again to stab at its neck. The blades hit home and sank in the beast's flesh. It let out a gurgle of pain before falling to the ground, lifeless. Tierne instinctively jumped off and landed nimbly on his feet just as the beast's body crashed behind him.

"Tierne, the beacon!" Alistair called. Tierne looked to his left and saw the pyre right next to him. He grabbed a nearby torch from its holder and threw it onto the pyre. He had to step back to avoid being caught in the flame that burst forth. The pyre was alight. The beacon was lit.

"We did it!" Tierne exclaimed as he turned back to look at his companions. Alistair was helping a bloodied Jory to his feet while the two guards were leaning against the parapets, catching their breath. Everything had worked out, the battle would be okay. He started a small smile which was quickly extinguished as his senses went into overdrive.

"Darkspawn! They're almost to the roof! I can sense them!" He managed to sputter out. The others had no time to react before an arrow flew across the roof and struck the guard between the eyes. He collapsed into a heap, and Tierne guessed the arrow had killed him. The mage whirled around and shot a stream of fire towards the door. Barely seconds later, a barrage of arrows hit him and threw him back, almost ripping him apart. Tierne could sense more darkspawn coming up. There was no way he and Alistair could handle all of them, not with the other three out of commission. Before he finished his thought, a powerful force struck him in the neck and sent him reeling to the ground. He weakly reached up to his neck and felt the shaft of an arrow sticking out. The smell of blood, his blood, started to overpower him. As his consciousness slowly faded, a faint feeling of satisfaction spread throughout his being. They would die here, he would die here, but the signal was sent.

The battle would be won.

The grey wardens would live on.


End file.
